snails

[Kieth71]

I just picked up some live rock locally from a guy who broke down his tank and put it in my tank which

has had water in it for about 24 hours...their were alot of snails

and a few crabs in it...what are the chances they will survive?Did i

make a mistake throwing them in the tank since they may die?

 

[jbc123]

They are pretty hardy. Many seem to recommend adding them mid-cycle to keep the diatom bloom under control.

I asked my LFS what they though about acclimating them and he made a great point. These things spend their natural life in and out of water. Crawling on the beach, in and out of tide pools that have different params. In the sun, in the water, warm, hot, cool.

I got 2 hermit crabs on my LR as hitchikers and they started grazing instantly. I added snails and an emerald crab and all I did was temp. acclimate them for about 10 minutes. They haven't missed a beat.

Of course, if you want to be safe that's a great habit to have. I wouldn't worry about losing too many of them though.

 

[Kieth71]

ya i has planned on ordering them after a month or so but i guess if they die it will just help the tank cycle...if i didnt put them in they would have died then as well so i figured i might as well give them a chance.

 

[kfisc]

Well, actually, snails are extremely sensitive and often are the first to go when tank conditions go south. They often are considered a baramoter of tank conditions; they may not show obvious signs of distress immediately, but will die off in days. Trochus snails need to be acclimated very carefully for that reason, for example.

 

[cgoodman381]

Iv always hear the same as above. Snails are pretty sensative to changes in water. Hopefully they will do ok, if not you have some empty shells for hermits

 

[aww_419]

I agree. Hermit crabs seem to be very hardy but snails are always the first to go. I wouldnt loose to much sleep over it though. as far as expenses go in this hobby a clean up crew is as cheap an expense as they come.

 

[crvz]

many inverts suffer from poor acclimation to differences in water conditions (including salinity differences), so you may find them dying off over the next week. just keep your eyes peeled and pull out the dead snails if you find any.